where the washing machine is Bobby. Please place your dirty clothes in it and add the powder.â Nan was crisp.
âKay was saying you need a job Mam ⦠something to keep you busy,â Bobby said.
âI had a job for twenty years and kept you fed, clothed and educated,â Nan snapped.
Pat rang her up next morning.
âThe others tell me youâre becoming very ratty Mam,â she said.
âWhat does ârattyâ mean?â Nan asked.
âI donât know really.â Pat was at a loss.
âMaybe they mean Iâve grown a long tail and a pointed nose, and started to scuttle around,â Nan said.
âI see what they mean, you
have
become ratty,â Pat said.
Derek said that there was a new Chinese restaurant at the far end of Chestnut Road. Perhaps they should try it.
Nan thought that was great. They talked about the Whites and whether Johnny had any family who knew what he had done. They debated what MrsWhiteâs name might have been. Nan thought it was Victoria. Derek thought it was Maud.
When he walked her home there were three notes on the door mat.
âOh, the family must have called,â she said casually.
She saw what she thought was a look of admiration in his eyes.
âGood to have family,â Derek said.
âYes indeed, family and friends, both very important,â Nan said.
When he had left she read the notes.
âMam, where
are
you? Kay and I called to take you for a pint, love Bobby.â
âMother, I have decided to treat you to a good haircut and a smart lunch out. Phone me to fix a day, Jo.â
âMam, I could upgrade your alarm for you, getting staff discount â Jo and Bobby told me you were going onabout money. We always thought Dad gave you plenty. Sorry. Love Pat.â
Nan smiled. She had really enjoyed her evening out with Derek. Now she had come home and found that at long last her children were thinking of her as a person, not just someone there to help in their lives.
Things hadnât been as good for a long time.
Chapter Five
The weeks went by and the building next door seemed to be moving along at a great rate. This didnât please Nan at all. Soon Number Twelve would be sold to strangers and the builders would go away.
She did not want to think about that day. A day when she would no longer hear Derek Doyle whistling happily with Mike and Shay next door. Evenings when there would be no tap on her door after work was finished, no hours shared.
There would be no more Sunday afternoons when she and Derek wouldgo to see old black and white movies that they both enjoyed. It would leave a great hole in her life.
But nothing had been said. Nothing more than the fact that she was a neighbour at the job where he was now working. In a few short weeks he might be working on the other side of the city. Some other neighbour would be pouring tea for Derek Doyle.
But Nan wouldnât allow herself to be brought down. She had always looked on the best side of life.
âI wonder who the house was left to. Did they give you any idea?â she asked Derek one evening as they sat together doing a jigsaw.
He had brought it as a gift because he said he used to love them when he was a young lad but hadnât tried one for years. Derek found a complicated piece and put it in with a great flourish.
âIâve no idea who itâs for, I donâtthink any-one knows. Ronnie the Rat, thatâs the developer, told us to do it up well and sell it at a high price. Thatâs what we are doing. His orders.â
âAnd who ordered him?â
âThe solicitor, I suppose. The one that Johnny White and his lady sent the instructions to before they went off and ⦠before they went and did what they did â¦â
âI know, I know,â she said, soothing him down.
âIt still upsets me,â Derek said.
âThatâs because youâre a human being, and a good one,â Nan
âKay was saying you need a job Mam ⦠something to keep you busy,â Bobby said.
âI had a job for twenty years and kept you fed, clothed and educated,â Nan snapped.
Pat rang her up next morning.
âThe others tell me youâre becoming very ratty Mam,â she said.
âWhat does ârattyâ mean?â Nan asked.
âI donât know really.â Pat was at a loss.
âMaybe they mean Iâve grown a long tail and a pointed nose, and started to scuttle around,â Nan said.
âI see what they mean, you
have
become ratty,â Pat said.
Derek said that there was a new Chinese restaurant at the far end of Chestnut Road. Perhaps they should try it.
Nan thought that was great. They talked about the Whites and whether Johnny had any family who knew what he had done. They debated what MrsWhiteâs name might have been. Nan thought it was Victoria. Derek thought it was Maud.
When he walked her home there were three notes on the door mat.
âOh, the family must have called,â she said casually.
She saw what she thought was a look of admiration in his eyes.
âGood to have family,â Derek said.
âYes indeed, family and friends, both very important,â Nan said.
When he had left she read the notes.
âMam, where
are
you? Kay and I called to take you for a pint, love Bobby.â
âMother, I have decided to treat you to a good haircut and a smart lunch out. Phone me to fix a day, Jo.â
âMam, I could upgrade your alarm for you, getting staff discount â Jo and Bobby told me you were going onabout money. We always thought Dad gave you plenty. Sorry. Love Pat.â
Nan smiled. She had really enjoyed her evening out with Derek. Now she had come home and found that at long last her children were thinking of her as a person, not just someone there to help in their lives.
Things hadnât been as good for a long time.
Chapter Five
The weeks went by and the building next door seemed to be moving along at a great rate. This didnât please Nan at all. Soon Number Twelve would be sold to strangers and the builders would go away.
She did not want to think about that day. A day when she would no longer hear Derek Doyle whistling happily with Mike and Shay next door. Evenings when there would be no tap on her door after work was finished, no hours shared.
There would be no more Sunday afternoons when she and Derek wouldgo to see old black and white movies that they both enjoyed. It would leave a great hole in her life.
But nothing had been said. Nothing more than the fact that she was a neighbour at the job where he was now working. In a few short weeks he might be working on the other side of the city. Some other neighbour would be pouring tea for Derek Doyle.
But Nan wouldnât allow herself to be brought down. She had always looked on the best side of life.
âI wonder who the house was left to. Did they give you any idea?â she asked Derek one evening as they sat together doing a jigsaw.
He had brought it as a gift because he said he used to love them when he was a young lad but hadnât tried one for years. Derek found a complicated piece and put it in with a great flourish.
âIâve no idea who itâs for, I donâtthink any-one knows. Ronnie the Rat, thatâs the developer, told us to do it up well and sell it at a high price. Thatâs what we are doing. His orders.â
âAnd who ordered him?â
âThe solicitor, I suppose. The one that Johnny White and his lady sent the instructions to before they went off and ⦠before they went and did what they did â¦â
âI know, I know,â she said, soothing him down.
âIt still upsets me,â Derek said.
âThatâs because youâre a human being, and a good one,â Nan
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